richards



( No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. F RICHARDS.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented June 22, 1897.

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Z Jfziorn ey/ I UNITED STATES I PATENT EEICE.

\VILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF BUFFALO, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,894, dated June 1897.

Application filed March 10, 189 '7.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. RICHARDS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the cross-section in line 6. 6, Fig. 1.

following is a specification.

This inventionrbelongs to that class of automatic car-couplings which employ a horizontally-swinging jaw or knuckle and a shifting-lever commonly termed a kicker, which fully opens the knuckle when the same is released by withdrawing the lock.

The invention has more particular reference to couplings of this kind having spring mechanism for holding the lock in reliable engagement with the knuckle and for operating the kicker.

My invention has for its object to produce a construction and arrangement of the lock and the kicker which will permit the use of a single spring for both of these parts, so as to simplify the coupler and reduce its cost of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved car-coupling, showing the knuckle locked. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof in line 2 2, Fig. 1, with a portion of the removable guide pocket or carrier broken away. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the position of the parts after kicking the knuckle into its open position and before releasing the operating device of the lock. Fig. at is a fragmentary longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of the kicker and its actuatingrod. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section of the coupling in line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, on anenlarged scale, of the kicker and its actuating-rod.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

p A is the chambered draw-head, which is constructed upon the well-known approved lines, and A is the hollow draw-bar.

B isthe knuckle or coupling-jaw, having the usual tailpiece or locking-arm b, and O the Serial No. 626,708. (No model.)

drawings, is arranged to swing horizontally in the draw-head.

O is the customary incline on the bottom of the draw-head under the lock.

D is a follower arranged lengthwise in the hollow draw-bar and bearing against the rear side of the look. This follower is formed with a rearwardly-extending rod or reduced extension d, which is guided in a tubular pocket or carrier E, arranged removably in the hollow draw-bar. This carrier is open at its front end for the passage of the follower, and its closed rear end is provided with an opening for the passage of the guiderod d, as shown in Fig. 1. The carrier is provided on opposite sides with flanges or tenons e, which are arranged in longitudinal ways 6, formed on the inner'side of the draw-bar, as shown in Fig. 6, and the carrier is held against rearward displacement by lugs or abutments 6 arranged within the draw-bar, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

F is the kicker arranged horizontally in the draw-head below the plane of the knuckle and the' lock and constructed in the form of an elbow-lever, which is pivoted to the bottom of the draw-head by a vertical pin f, preferably formed integrally with the lever. The long front arm f of the kicking-lever terminates in an upwardly-projecting lip f which is adapted to bear against the rear side of the tailpiece of the knuckle. arm f of this lever extends toward the lock and is connected with the front end of a shifting or actuating rod G, preferably by a knuckle-andsocket joint g, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. The parts of this joint are held in engagement with each other by the lock arranged above the head of the connecting-rod G. This rod G extends rearwardly underneath the carrier E and is provided at its rear end with an upwardly-projecting lip or follower g, which extends into the hollow carrier through a longitudinal slot or opening it formed in the same, as shown in Fig. 1, and which slides upon the rod 01 of the firstdescribed follower D, the rod passing through an opening formed in said lip. Y

H is a spiral spring surrounding the fol- The rear short lower-rod (Z and interposed between the lockoperating follower D and the lip g, the lat ter forming a rear follower or movable abutment between which and the front follower D the spring is compressed.

I is an operating-lever whereby the lock is retracted for releasing the knuckle. This lever, which is of bell-crank form, is arranged in a longitudinal slot 1, formed in the top of the draw-head, and is mounted on a transverse pin 2', so as to swing lengthwise of the draw-head. The upper rearwardly-extending arm of this lever is provided with a elevis I for connecting it with any suitable or wellknown operating mechanism arranged on the end of the car, while its lower depending arm engages in a socket or recess j, formed in the upper side of the lock, as shown by full lines in Figs. 2, 3, and 5 and by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This depending arm its loosely into the recess of the lock and its end terminates in a rounded head which bears against the correspondingly-shaped rear wall of the recess. Upon pulling the upper arm of the operating-lever I upwardly its lower arm is swung rearwardly, thereby retracting the lock and releasing the knuckle.

In order to reduce the friction between the bell-crank lever and the lock to a minimum, the lower arm of the bell-crank is made of such a length that the upward and rearward movement of its free end corresponds with the rise or pitch of the incline O. The recess of the lock is made of sufficient width to permit the necessary swinging movement of the lock, and the front follower has sufficient lateral play in the carrier to' follow the movement of the kicking-lever without binding.

In the use of the car-coupling when the knuckle is in its closed or coupled position the sprin II is compressed between the front follower D and the rear follower g, and by its tendency to expand it forces the front follower forwardly against the lock and the rear follower rearwardly, thereby drawing the short arm of the kicking-lever F rearwardly, through the medium of the actuating-rod G, and causing the lip f of its long front arm to bear against the tailpiece of the knuckle, as shown in Fig. 2, the spring being of such length that it is under compression in this position of the parts. Upon withdrawing the lock for releasing the knuckle the front follower D is pushed backward by the lock, whereby the spring is further compressed between the front follower and the rear follower g, the rear follower being held against backward movement during the initial movement of the look by the connecting-rod G and the kicking-lever, which latter is prevented from swinging on its pivot during this interval by the tailpiece of the knuckle. This additional compression of the spring continues until the lock fully clears the tailpiece of the knuckle, when the kicking-lever, being new no longer restrained, allows the spring to react rearwardly and force the rear follower g in the same direction, thereby operating the kicking-lever and causing it to kick the knuckle into its open position, as shown in Fig. 3. During this rearward movement of the rear follower the front follower is held against forward movement by the retracted lock, which in turn is held stationary by the operator, and the front follower thus acts for the time being as a stationary abutment for the front end of the spring. It will now be understood that during the first portion of the backward movement of the lock the rear follower g acts as an abutment toward which the spring is compressed by the front follower and that as soon as the knuckle is released the front follower becomcs an abutment toward which the spring is compressed by the rear follower. Owing to the increased compression to which the spring is subjected by the initial backward movement of the lock the spring reacts with considerable force upon the kicking-lever as soon as the knuckle is unlocked, thus operating the kicking-lever promptly and offectually and causing it to give the knuckle a sufficient impulse to insure its complete opening. By the time that the lock is drawn back to the extremity of its movement the rear follower g comes in contact with the rear end of the slot h of the carrier E, as shown in Fig. 3, and as soon as the lock is released by the operator the spring reacts and forces the front follower forwardly, thereby swinging the lock to the position shown by dotted lines in the same figure, ready to interlock with the knuckle when the same is closed. D urin g this action the spring finds its abutment against the rear follower g, which in turn abuts against the rear end of the carrier-slot h. The forward movement of the lock is limited bya shoulder 7c, formed on its front side near its pivot and adapted to abut against a shoulder on the adjacent portion of the draw-head.

When the open knuckle is closed by the knuckle of an opposing car-coupling or otherwise, its tailpiece first com es in contact with the long arm of the kicking-lever and swings the same toward its normal position, and the tailpiece then strikes the lock and swings the same backward until it interlocks automatically with the tailpiece. This causes the kickin g-lever to draw the rear follower g forwardly and the lock to push the front follower backwardly, thereby compressing the spring between the two approaehing followers and restoring it to its original condition.

As the carrier is arranged loosely in the .draw-bar, it can be readily withdrawn with knuckle, a spring arranged to force the lock forwardly, a kickingdever operating against the knuckle, and a follower connected with the kicking-lever and bearing against the rear end of said spring, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the draw-head and the knuckle or coupling-jaw, of alock for the knuckle, a follower operating against the look, a kicking-lever operating against the knuckle, a follower connected with the kicking-lever, and a spring arranged to be compressed between said followers, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the draw-head and the knuckle or coupling-j aw, of a lock for the knuckle, a spring arranged to force the lock forwardly, a kicking-lever operating against the knuckle, a follower connected with the kicking-lever and bearing against the rear end of said spring, and an abutment-arranged in rear of said follower, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination with the draw-head and the knuckle or 00 upling-j aw, of a lock for the knuckle, a pocket or carrier removably arranged in the draw-bar in rear of the look, a front follower guided in said pocket and bearing against the look, a spring arranged in said pocket or carrier and bearing at its front end against said follower, a kicking-lever operating against the knuckle, and a rear follower connected with the kicking-lever and bearing against the rear end of said spring, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with thedraw-head and the knuckle or coupling-jaw, of a lock for the knuckle, a pocket or carrier removably arranged in the draw-bar and having a longitudinal slot, a front follower guided in said pocket and bearing against the look, a spring arranged in said pocket and bearing against said follower, a kicking lever operating against the knuckle, and a rear follower connected with the kicking-lever and projecting into the slot of said pocket or carrier and bearing against the rear end of said spring, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the draw-head and the draw-bar having an internal stop or abut- 5o ment, and longitudinal ways, of a knuckle pivoted to the draw head, a lock for the knuckle, a removable carrier or pocket arranged in the draw-head, abutting against the stop of the draw-bar and having projecting flanges arranged in the ways of the draw-bar, and a spring-follower guided in said carrier and operating against the lock, substantially as set forth.

Vitness my hand this 6th day of March,

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, ELLA R. DEAN. 

